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| Breaking gender stereotypes starts with young children |
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A recent report from Our Watch has reinforced that early childhood is the ideal window in which to challenge the negative impacts of rigid gender roles and stereotypes, placing the power to breakdown outdated views in the hands of the parents.
The Power of Parents Snapshot Report surveyed 858 parents and found that most parents are in favour of making a positive change, finding that 72 per cent of parents want to challenge traditional stereotypes in their young children, and 92 per cent of parents agreed that it is important to treat girls and boys the same in their early years.
Gender stereotypes, or the roles and behaviours that are expected from male and females within our society, can take hold from the moment a child is born. Starting with pink for a girl and blue for a boy, these expectations grow to include personality traits such as boys are boisterous and girls are gentle, or preferences such as boys like trucks and girls like dolls.
As children grow to adults, these stereotypes can eventually limit both genders in what they can be in life, assuming girls will take on nurturing roles and boys make better leaders, perpetually repeating the gender divide.
As the report stated: 'Gender stereotypes do not just set up 'different' ideas about girls and boys, or men and women, they reflect and reinforce gender inequality, because the traits, roles and expectations associated with boys and men are typically more highly valued than those associated with girls and women. They support for example, the assumption that men will earn more, and hold more leadership positions than women, and that women will do the majority of unpaid household tasks.'
The report also tied these stereotypes to the continuing domestic violence problems in Australia, stating: "As long as women are not seen as equal to men and considered less worthy of respect, violence against women will continue in Australia.
This means that as a nation, we need to promote equality and respect to all, and we need to do this right across the life course. Parents of young children have a unique opportunity to contribute to this whole-of-society approach. They can model equality and respect in their relationships, challenge rigid and harmful gender stereotypes and promote diverse interests, opportunities and experiences for their children."
Chloe Shorten, daughter of former Governor-General of Australia, the Honourable Dame Quentin Bryce AD, CVO and the newest Ambassador for Our Watch, is familiar with the importance of positive, equal parenting.
"My childhood home was a household of ideas about gender equality, shared parenting and education. It was a household where talk became action," said Ms Shorten.
"For as long as I can remember, my mother has fought to eliminate domestic violence from the community. It wasn't a passing interest – it has been a lifetime commitment. My dad, a renowned architect, consistently modelled modern marriage and parenting for us," said Ms Shorten.
What you can do
There are many things parents can do to reduce the gender stereotypes for their own children:
- Try to make sure that caregiving and housework tasks are shared, and that male and female roles in the home are equal. If children see both parents cooking dinner and mowing the lawn, they'll learn that both genders can perform tasks equally.
- Aim to use gender-neutral descriptions for jobs, such as firefighter rather than fireman.
- Support gender-neutral play. Boys can play house, girls can climb trees, and pay attention to the toys you purchase, keeping them as gender-neutral as possible.
- Discuss stereotypes that they might see in the media, using these examples as points for conversation and questioning traditional expectations.
- Expose children to a diverse range of both male and female models across books, movies, sport and the arts.
- Encourage mixed-gender playdates, which can make play more varied and interesting for children.
- Challenge your own gender stereotypes - don't encourage, or discourage anything, and try to approach everything without any gender assumptions.
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